Establishing Efficient Workflows Using Sharepoint? Yes! Here’s How…
Send to KindleSharepoint workflows are an incredibly useful (but often misunderstood) business tool.
Their ideal purpose, as Rackspace blogger Jennifer Marsh has been explaining in this series, is to “facilitate control of projects and business processes, because managers can keep track of each step necessary for process flow without skipping critical steps.”
This software allows you to cut out logistical legwork and speed up business.
It can consolidate pages of new hire paperwork to a single form and ensure that complaints are heard, logged and dealt with in a timely manner.
Below are 3 ways to optimize your use of SharePoint…
Identify problem areas
SharePoint workflows exist to solve a problem.
To get the most out of the technology, you need to first do an extensive analysis of your current systems and identify slowdowns and common errors.
Most mistakes will originate from a process
Talk to the people who are most affected by these issues for both a detailed report and advice; often those who deal with the problem daily are the most adept at proposing a solution, whether they have experience in workflows or not.
select columns instead of folders to maximize clarity
Learn the lingo
For this system to actually cut time, you need to be able to use the right kinds of actions.
If you think too small (signing one page of a contract) or too large (complete testing and interviews), the workflow will get bogged down.
Instead of using folders, use columns — a system that organizes your files without hiding them in layers of subfolders.
Streamline
Once you have the basic workflow in effect, it can—ironically—become just one more thing to manage and maintain.
Though it is relatively easy to keep up with, businesses experiencing shortages in staff or a rapidly growing workload may want to outsource their deployments.
Placing it in the control of experts guarantees efficiency and saves time for
Check sites like Rackspace for hosting services.
By outsourcing, you reach the peak of Sharepoint’s potential and eliminate all project management minutia from the day-to-day lives of office managers and administrators.
Conclusion
SharePoint workflows work best when they’re designed by someone with knowledge of the problem and an understanding of the steps needed to build the solution.
Many websites offer free webinars that touch on some of the finer points of workflow building, and multiple books are available on the subject.
Take advantage of these tools to train 1 or 2 employees on SharePoint for free.
Once they have it mastered, that knowledge can be easily passed up and down the chain of command to explain to new employees where they fit in the flow and help executives see the big picture more clearly.
What Are Your Thoughts??
✔ As this is only one is a series of articles on SharePoint that Jennifer Marsh has provided, what questions do you have about SharePoint?
✔ Perhaps you have something that needs to be resolved?
✔ Or perhaps you have something that has been a thought for a while but haven’t gotten around to asking (until now)?
✔ Let us help you, how can we help?
Leave your question in the comments below, or use the email and/or social media links in Jennifer’s profile to reach her through Rackspace.
Jennifer was brought to our attention by Beth Corneglio of Rackspace Hosting and by clicking here you can reach Beth by email.
Jennifer Marsh is a software developer, programmer, technology writer, and blogger.
You can reach Jennifer by contacting Beth via email or by leaving a comment below…
More articles by Jennifer Marsh...
- How Do You Determine Good Reporting Metrics When Using Sharepoint? - 21-March-2013
- Here's a Thought: How About Using Sharepoint to Actually... Share? - 7-March-2013
- Creating Value in Managing Documents By Using SharePoint - 28-February-2013
- Have You Thought About What to Look for In a SharePoint Consultant? - 21-February-2013
- Everything You Need to Know About SharePoint Training - 14-January-2013
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